Latch for overlapping closure



v A. J. KOMENAK A 2,223,765

LATCH FOR OVERLAPPING CLOS-URE Filed Jan. 18. 1937 ATTORNE Patented Dec. 3, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENroFFicE" LATCH FOR OV ERLAPPING :CLSURE Albert J. Komenak, Stamford, Conn., assigner to The Excelsior Hardware Company, Stamford, Conn., acorporation of Connecticut Application January 18, 1937, Serial No, 1121,084

5 claims. (c1. ,29e-337) This invention relates to latches, particularly of the type adapted to fasten closed a hinged closure which swings into overlapping relationship to a jamb.

5 An important object of the invention is to simplify the construction and compact the parts of a latch for this purpose to an extreme degree without sacricing the size and ruggedness of the 4 k fastening bolt and its striker.

lll Another object is to do away with cast metal parts of complicated shape and to employ relatively inexpensive sheet metal parts, and parts which may be automatically produced by a screw l machine.

if? A further object is to eliminate the use of leaf springs which require accurate tempering and are subject to early fatigue and breaking.

A further object is to provide a drawn metal housing for the latch mechanism adapted to 30 project beyond the edge ofthe closure or door and to receive and conceal a striker.

A further object is to provide a mounting plate for the striker whose correct position on the jamb may be determined by its relationship to the 35 edge of the door which overlaps the casing thereby to facilitate the proper positioning of the separable parts of the latch when they are screwed or otherwise secured to the door and jambl i A stm further object is to retain the latch mechanism within the drawn metal housing by means of a cover plate shaped and perforated to be held against the edges of thehousing in rigid` and denitely positioned relationship there- 35 to by turned-over tongues, thus avoiding the use of screws or other loose parts for assembling the latch.

`A` still further object is to utilize extended ange portions of the cover plate for mounting 40 the latch housing upon the closure or door.

The foregoing and other objects will become clear from the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the invention in which y reference g is made to the appended drawing '45 wherein:

Figure 1 is an outside View of the portion of a jamb which borders upon an opening and of a portion of a closure or door for the opening swung closed in overlapping relationship to the jamb 50 with a preferred form of my improved latch applied thereto.

Figure 2 is an elevation of the latch parts and 'showsthe jamb and door insection on the plane 2-2 in Fig, 1 looking in the direction ofgthe 55 arrows.

Figure 3 shows an endwise view oi the latch parts and is vtaken in section through the casing on the plane 3--3 in Fig. 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale taken through the latch parts on the plane 4--4 in Fig. 1 lookingrin the direction of the arrows. Y

Figure 5 is a plan view of the interior parts oi the latch mechanism taken on the planes 5 5 in Fig. 4. 1

Figure 6 is a bottom plan view of the. latch parts carried by the door and shows the striker in section on the plane B-Bin Fig. 4, looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 7 is a View taken in section on the vertical plane l-'l in Fig. 4 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 8 is an inverted perspective view of the latch housing with the other parts removed therefrom and shown on` a scale corresponding to Fig. 1.

Figure9 is a corresponding perspective view of the cover plate removed from the latch housing of Fig. 8. i l

Figure 10 is a fragmentary view o n a greatly enlarged scale taken in section on the plane Ill--ltl in Fig. 6 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure l1 is a'fragmentary View of a modified 80 form of certain parts-shown in Fig. 4, the striker being indicated by broken lines.

Figure 12 is a sectional View taken on the plane `|2---I2 in Fig. 1l looking in the direction of the arrows.

In certain kinds of cabinet work, as for eX- ample the relatively small closets and compartments in automobile trailers, the saving of space and economy of production are prime factors which often give rise to the use of doors which overlap their jambs instead of closing with the outer door surface in flush relationship to the outer surface of the jamb. The hardware, such as latches, employed as handle equipped devices for fastening such d oors must preferably be of V correspondingly low cost and compact construction. The present jimprovements are in part directed to the provision of a latch for use in this' connection but which may have a variety of applications asfastening means for closures other than of the type described.

In Figs. 15 2 and 3,' the simple wooden wall lil of a closet or compartment is indicated as bordering the opening Il adapted to be covered by the swinging door l2-which may be hinged by "55 70 buttonhead 36 of striker I8.

means not shown to open in the direction of arrow A in Fig. 2. For better appearance the exposed corner I3 of the edge of door I2 may be rounded or chamfered as shown in Fig. 2.

5 A housing I4 containing the latch mechanism is secured by wood screws I5 or other suitable means, to the outer surface of door I2 and includes a hood-like portion I6 overhanging the door edge and preferably conforming to the l0 rounded corner I3 thereof. Handle I1 serves to be grasped for opening the door and to be turned for unfastening the latch. The striker IB comprises a screw machine part relieved to form a button headed post rigidly carried by its mounting l" plate I9 which is secured to the jamb I0 by wood screws or other suitable means. The correct relationship of the striker I8 to the latch housing I4 and its contained mechanism is easily deter? mined by placing the right edge of plate I9 '30 against the edge of door I2 when the latter is closed.

Fig;l 8 showsa perspective view of the housing as it may be producedby drawing sheet metal to form an elongated cup whose side walls may then be trimmed to the shape as shown. Thus the sidewalls 2I may be left at their original full depth in the front or hood portion I6 of housing I4 while in the rear portion of the housing the side walls 22 .are trimmed down to approximately half their original depth While leaving the tongues 23 projecting from the otherwise co-planar edges of the walls 22, which edges 24 extend around the `mechanism end of the housing and lie in the same plane preferably with the ,bottoni of notches 25 on theopposite side of tongues 23LV The concave cutaway 26 in the side walls is an example of any suitable contour which may be given to the wall edges at this point to enable them to conform to and abut against the edge of door I2.

Fig. 9 yshows the perforated cover plate 21 whose following features provide for accurately positioned rigid assemblyY with the housing I4. Cover plate 21 includes a central depressed panel portion 28 bordered by the mounting fianges 29.

The apertures 36 in flanges 29, directly adjacent thelateral edges of the panel portion 28, re-

ceive the tongues 23 which may then be lbrent over at right angles against the outer surface-of the depressed panel `28- as shown in Figs. 6 and 10,

in a manner not toprotrude beyond the outer face of flanges 29. An additional central aperture 3I in the depressed panel 28 provides clearance for va spring hereinafter described. Two

'55 screw holes 32 in flanges 29 serve for mounting the housing I4 upon a door or closure. It will be noted that the offset bends 33 where flanges 29 join-the depressed panel 2 8 at the side of apertures 30 fit snugly in the notches 25. Also the 6 0 lateralvedgesof the depressed panel 28 snugly fit the side walls 22 of housing I4 and seat slightly therewithin.

i Between cover plate 21 and the walls of housing I4 the extremely simple latch mechanism is constrained for operation and may be comprised of `the parts best shown in Figs. 4, 5 and '7. Slidable lengthwise of the housing I4 is the platelike bolt 34 having'its striker engaging end 35 chamfered or otherwise formed to cam over the While this end of the bolt 34 isshown as straight in Figs. 5 and 6, it may if desired, be curved as in Figs. 11 and 12 (see edge 35'), which tends to increase the areavof surface contactbetween the striker head 375 3,6 and Ybolt end' withnpossibility of increasing bolt 34 from striker head 36.

the wearing qualities. At its opposite end, the bolt 34 is shapedV to present a projecting lug 31 which enters and serves to guide the short compression spring 38 Whose opposite end bears against the interior of housing I4 urging the bolt constantly toward the striker. Three upstanding lugs may be sheared from the metal of bolt 34 to serve the double purpose of preventing tipping of bolt 34 away from alignment with cover plate 21 and of limiting the sliding movel0 ment of bolt 34 in both directions. Two of these lugs 39 are engaged for manually retracting the boltl from the striker against the tension of spring 33 while the other lug 40 serves to limit the retractile movement of the bolt. 15

Bolt A34 is manually operated by the handle I1 whose spindle 42 is journaled in the wall of housing I4 and interior of the housing is flatted to carry fixed thereto the double ended cam 43 over which the flatted end 44 of spindle 42 may be 20 peened and preferably ymade to lie flush with the under surface of the cam. j A spacer collar 45, surrounding spindle 42 between the housing wall and the cam, is of proper thickness to steady the handle I1 while permitting free turning thereof. 25 Either end of cam 43 may bear against one of the lugs 39 while lug 40 is adapted to contact with the reduced periphery of the dog to limit the movement of bolt 34 toward the right in Figs. 4 and 5.

In Figs. 11 and l2 the bolt plate 34 is provided 30 with an elongated central aperture 46 through which the handle spindle 42 may be continued to project out from the vside of housing I4Y which is covered by plate 21 and if desired, through the door I2, and equipped with an additional 35 handle on the opposite side of the doorfor use with closures such as household doors required to be unlatched from both sides. In such case, the latch will be mounted upon the door in such position that this additional operating handle 40 will clear the edge of the door casing. Specifically, Figs. 11Y and 12 indicate such extension of the handle spindle 42 by securing a separate shaft 41 to a squared end 48 of spindle 42 adapted to be received within a square socket 45 in the end of extension shaft 41 vand locked therein by a pin 49.

Themounting plate 21 for housing I4 may have its flanges 29 extended down over the rounded corner I3 of the edge of door I2 and is 50' properly located on the door when the housing edges 26, or such extended flanges, register with this edge of the door. The striker mounting plate I9 is properly mounted when its edge registers with the edge of the door. Turning 55 handle I1 in either direction causes c'aml 43 to work one or the other of lugs 39 and retractsvthe When the' door closes, edge 35 of bolt 34 automatically cams over 4the `striker head and Yspring 38 causes the 60 interlocking of these parts.

While the foregoing description explains a satisfactory embodiment of theY present improvements, parts of cast metal may .be substituted for parts herein proposed to be made from sheet `(i5 metal or from screw machine stock.v Many departures from the disclosed embodiment will occur to those skilled in theart. The appended claimsare to be interpreted as inclusive of Iall substitutes and constructions which come within the scope of their terms. Y

I claim: v y 1. A housing for latch mechanism --comprising in combination, a shell-likencase havingl walls of pliant material terminating at edges defining 'f5 an open side of said case and contoured to form projecting bendable tongues, and a base plate member thinner than the length of said tongues having a depressed panel portion and a flange portion bordering thereon separated from said panel portion by an off-setting shoulder, said shoulder and flange being perforated ina manner to permit said tongues to penetrate said iiange at the edge of said panel and to provide room for said tongues to be bent over against the depressed surface of said panel in a direction away from said flange.

2. In a latch for fastening a door whose edge portion closes against a jamb and overlaps a surface of said jamb carrying a striker, a housing for latch mechanism co-operative with said striker, said housing including a relatively shalloW rear portion having `means to mount the same on the outer surface of said door and a relatively deep front portion projecting lengthwise beyond the door edge thereby to overhang said surface of the jamb, the said housing portions embodying a roof wall extending substantially straight throughout the combined lengths of said housing portions, rear side-Walls extending to a shallow depth from said roof wall in said rear portion of the housing, front side-walls continuous with said rear side-walls respectively and extending to a substantially greater depth from said straight roof wall in said front portion of the housing in a manner reaching crosswise the thickness of said door, a rear end-wall of said shallow depth connecting said rear side- Walls to complete an enclosure for the rear end of the housing, and a front end-wall coeXtensiVe with the greater depth of said front side-walls and connecting the same at the front end of said housing in a manner to complete a hood-like enclosure partly in line with the thickness of said t door of shape and size to receive and substantially conceal said striker.

3. In a latch as defined in claim 2 a housing as defined in said claim including a plate-like member secured to and spanning the said sidewalls in the said rear portion of said housing and terminating short of the said side-walls in the said front portion of said housing and disposed in a plane close to the said outer door surface and thereby separated from the plane of the said jamb surface by a distance substantially equal to the said thickness of the door.

4. A housing for latch mechanism as defined in claim 1 in which the said offsetting shoulder of the said base plate member reaches beyond the immediate neighborhood of the said tongues and at points substantially distant therefrom registers with inner corners of the said wall edges of the case in a manner to aid said tongues in maintaining a positively determined assembled relationship of said plate member and said case. 5. In a housing for latch mechanism or the like including a shell-like case having walls of pliant sheet-like material and a base plate member having a depressed face forming a panel and having a flange bordering thereon separated from said panel by an' offsetting shoulder extending at least as high as the thickness of said case material, fastening devices including a bendable tongue formed by a projecting portion of said material of the shell-like case, said Iiange containing an aperture flanking the outer boundary of said depressed face of the panel of shape and size to admit said tongue therethrough, and said offsetting shoulder being cut away immediately adjacent said aperture, whereby said tongue may penetrate both said flange and said oisetting shoulder and be bent over against said depressed face of said panel, the bend in said tongue occupying and being conned to said aperture.

ALBERT J. KOMENAK. 

